Chrysalis

Under the soft light of the fourth stratum, with a soft mist rising from the glittering blue waters on the shore, the might of the Colony assembled. They had gathered in strength before, huge armies of ant soldiers, alongside smaller groups of human and golgari, but not quite like this.

Half a million ants emerged from beneath the ground and sorted themselves into neat ranks. They blanketed the shoreline. Between those inmoving chitinous frames, no trace of sand nor soil could be seen, they were so densely packed. In the lead stood a sparkling insect, enormous in size it loomed over the others of its own kind, a commanding presence that dominated the field.

Ten thousand support troops were spread amongst the ranks. Other races who had taken up arms alongside the Colony, ready to fight, ready to die, so that the ants would triumph. Within each group a robed figure walked, blessing each warrior and exhorting them to greater devotion in battle.

It was a terrifying sight.

Rassan'tep retracted his sight from the scrying array and sank deep into contemplation. That despite being so young, the Colony could already muster an army of this strength and size was worrying. Their growth was faster than even he had considered possible, and he projected it would only increase. To deal with this sort of power, the ka'armodo would need to commit a large force, thousands of their own number, with set'sulah War Dancer support and sand golems.

They had none of that here, only the termite Colony they had grown and fostered against all custom.

It was ka'armodo monster engineering against what a lone creature had been able to accomplish without training or assistance.

He wasn't confident that they would win. In many ways, it didn't matter. He was only interested in what Anthony would become from this moment on. Would the promising young monster die in the fighting, his rise to glory stopped tragically short? Or would he survive, and grow all the stronger for being exposed to the heat of battle?

He had to see.

[You seem excited, Master.]

The voice of Ammon'sil rang in his mind and the elder shifted slightly to better see his faithful servant.

so simple to tell? I would rather not have my emotions read

Master,] the set'sulah smiled, [only those who have known you for many years would recognise

more engaged with the scrying array. The grand sight of the massed ranks of ants, so neat they appeared to have been painted in

your thoughts on the upcoming conflict?]

not my place

when I ask you

you say. I worry for your kin, Master. They are confident in their abilities and in those of their creations, but I worry that they underestimate the foe before them. The Colony has shown that it will adapt, take risks, make decisions on the fly.

the ka'armodo noted. [You can come out and say it. Hubris.

ancient creature, an ocean of contempt behind

ruled this world once, does not mean we don't have to fight

ants carefully, noting the various castes and their

survival, not glory. They seek to build, not to maintain. The youths who were sent here… they see themselves as chosen, and special, instead of manipulated and abandoned. When cold blooded and logical thinking is required, they have

forward with unnatural precision. Mages, each and every one of them. Minds in perfect sync, they began to draw and shape the mana around them. With so many mages working together in perfect harmony, a vast amount of energy was able to

carefully as the bridge began to take shape. It was crude in form, but well suited to the task, he had to admit. Sturdy, dense, compacted, the bridge was almost a kilometre wide. They even went to the trouble of anchoring it to the lake bed, extending pillars downward before the waters grew too deep. The great lizard hummed in approval. If they were nothing else, the ants

in blocks, the mages at the front, along with Anthony and his

them little over an hour to

condensing, before they were suddenly fired in a high arc. Dozens of

course the

sprung into existence, one after the other, covering the bridge for its entire length. Rassan'tep didn't even need to reach out with

of cooperation shown by the Colony was